Men’s Grooming Trends for 2019

2019 looks set to be a year in which men’s grooming takes a few more significant steps forward. We’ve identified several trends that look set to land at some point this year – but which are flashes in the proverbial pan, and which are here to stay? Let’s consider a few of the candidates.

Body-hair Sculpting

If you’re a particularly hirsute gentleman, then you might find that your body tends to lack shape when you’re not wearing much. If you have tufts sprouting, seemingly at random, from your shoulders, chest, abdomen and legs, then you risk looking a little bit unkempt – particularly if you’re sitting beside the pool.

The practice of tapering one’s body hair looks set to solve this problem. Electric shavers AKA personal groomers have long come equipped with attachments designed especially for this purpose. So, you might opt for a lower grade on your belly than on your pectorals, and shorter hairs on your feet than around your thighs.

This is something that requires particular dedication, and thus it strikes us as only worthwhile during summer – but if you’ve got the time to give yourself an all-over shave, or you’re preparing for some outdoor event that requires taking your clothes off, then we don’t see why not. Just don’t overdo it.

Surgery

Depending on which polls you believe, men are having more cosmetic surgery than ever before –vand it’s millennial men that are leading the way. This is a welcome development for a burgeoning cosmetics industry, but it’s probably not so great for the mental health of young men who feel that they have to pay thousands of dollars to have their body permanently altered. Men are sure to be sharply divided on the issue – but we’re all individuals who can make our own decisions, and so it seems slightly churlish to pour scorn either way. In many respects, cosmetic surgery is a bit like a tattoo – and there’s no longer any real social stigma applied to getting inked, even among those of us who aren’t sailors or convicts.

You can probably expect to see an anti-surgery backlash in a few year’s time, when men of the world begin to gravitate toward the natural look. For the time being, however, you can expect to see more men walking around with dermal fillers and botox – and in some instances, you might not even realise that that’s what’s happened.

Obviously, surgery is a radical procedure. It’s also one whose results vary tremendously depending on who’s wielding the knife: the best procedures produce remarkable results, the worst will leave you permanently mutilated. The former will cost more money, but they’re surely preferable.

Smartphone Protection

Given the amount of hours we’re spending buried in our phones all day, it’s probably unsurprising that there’s a growing demand for skin-protection. The most harmful sorts of light produced by your screen, when it comes to skin ageing, is the blue sort with a wavelength of between 400 and 500 nanometres. Light sources like this are also to be found in modern hyper efficient LED bulbs, of the sort that are now omnipresent in the modern home.

Prolonged exposure to light of this sort, it’s claimed, is the equivalent to spending a short time in the sun. We should therefore take steps to protect our skin in much the same way: with a moisturiser that’ll block certain wavelengths. It’s just that, rather than dealing just with UV light, this stuff focuses on the blue stuff, too. In a few decades, our skin is sure to thank us. Of course, you might equally protect yourself by buying warmer hued light bulbs, and by fiddling with the colour balance settings on your computer monitor at work – but then you’ll lose some of the advantages that modern tech presents.

Stop Washing Your Hair

Okay, we know that this one might sound a bit strange, but there’s sound reasoning behind it. The hair naturally produces protective oils, which hot water and shampoo will strip away. By not washing your hair quite so much, you’ll protect your scalp and ensure that your hair remains lush and vibrant for longer.

If you don’t want your hair to be greasy, then you can use a dry shampoo to strip away the excess. After all, there’s no other species of animal on earth that relies on daily washing with shampoo, so why should human beings? Or, so goes the theory. Note that while you can refrain from washing your hair every day, you can still wash the rest of your body using a high quality body wash – fail to do so, and you’ll assuredly begin to repel everyone you meet.

Cannabis Oil

Provided that you filter out the psychoactive ingredient, THC, cannabis oil is remarkably good for your skin. It soothes redness and irritation, thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties.

Manufacturers face a little bit of a legal and cultural minefield when developing products that take advantage of this, however – not all of us feel comfortable rubbing the stuff into our faces. Attitudes are changing, though, and this might well be the year that CBD-oil products make the jump into the mainstream of men’s grooming. Just don’t try to smoke any of them.

Dietary Supplements

In pursuit of a superior physique, men have been quaffing dietary supplements for decades, now. And the logic is simple – if you’re lifting weights all day, but can’t get enough protein for optimal muscle growth, then you need to take a supplement. The same applies to the bones and nervous system – great nutrition often means supplementing a healthy diet with a few extra pills and powders.

Of course, your hair and your skin are just as dependant on the foods and drinks we eat as skeletal muscle, and so you can expect dietary supplements that focus on maintaining those organs to achieve greater prominence in 2019. Naturally, these products are meant to be supplementary – you’ll still need to eat your share of cabbage and broccoli if you want to safeguard your appearance (and all-around good health).